Increase for Bingley, Menston and Clekheaton students is first in a series (From Advertiser Series)

Increase for Bingley, Menston and Clekheaton students is first in a series

7:41pm Thursday 4th February 2010

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Many children who use the Mybus yellow bus scheme to get to secondary schools across the district are facing an increase in fares.

A new minimum fare of 70p per journey is set to be introduced from September to increase revenue and offset increased operating costs for Metro, the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority.

It will be the first in a series of annual rises until fares are equalised at a single flat fare.

The initial increase means pupils who use the S35 service to Bingley Grammar School, the S38 bus to St Mary’s School, in Menston, and the P47 service to Whitechapel Middle School, in Cleckheaton, will all see their fares rise from 60p to 70p per journey.

A report that went before Metro’s Tendered Services Working Group yesterday said: “Some children will have to pay an increased fare. It is unlikely, however, that there would be significant opposition to this as the new fare would generally be below that of commercially-provided services.

“In line with previous discussions at this group, it is proposed to bring any fares under 70p up to a 70p flat fare from September 2010, and to apply fares increases each September as appropriate, with the intention of gradually bringing all fares up to a single flat fare for all yellow bus services “This approach has been discussed with the local bus operators who have not objected.”

Metro staff are planning to write to parents informing them of the increase when they issue pass renewal letters in early summer.

A spokesman for Metro said the change would only apply to secondary school pupils and added that fares that are above 70p per journey would not be reduced to that level.

When Mybus services were introduced in November 2004, fares for primary school services were largely set at 50p per journey, while fares on secondary school services were set at levels comparable to those charged on commercial services in the area.

Until January 2009, fares on Mybus services had never been increased to make the service attractive to a wide range of users, including children from low-income families. But primary school fares were increased to 60p per journey in January, 2009, and secondary fares went up by 10p per journey across the board.

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